‘Heartland’ pumps Beta Mip sales

RAI buys Canadian TV series

Italo pubcaster RAI has bought hit Canadian TV series “Heartland,” a drama about a family coping with its debt-laden ranch, that aired on commercial web CTV.

The deal, announced by Germany’s Beta Film at Mipcom Wednesday, is one of a string of major territory deals on new and library properties struck at this year’s trade fair by the Jan Mojto-headed sales company.

In some weightier deals, HBO Latin America has acquired “Ten-Umbra Mortis,” a serial killer two-part mini produced by Lisa Film for Austrian pubcaster ORF and Euro broadcaster RTL. HBO has also taken a 10-pic package.

The Romy Schneider starring “Sissi” films — “Sissi,” “Sissi, Part II: The Young Empress” and “Sissi, Part III: The Fateful Years” — have broken into the Japanese market for the first time, selling to NHK. DVD rights have been picked up by Toho.

LAP TV took Latin American pan-regional pay TV on the 10th season of “Rex — The Cop’s Best Friend” as well as reruns of the first 123 segs, marking the third rerun of all the series’ episodes in Latin America.

The CTC Group struck a similar deal for Russia, while Japan’s Mystery Channel also picked up “Rex.”

Beta reports that free-to-air rights to “Rex’s” ninth and 10th seasons were sold to all major territories in Latin America.